One piece infant garment with hand restraint

ABSTRACT

An infant garment that is sized and configured to be worn by an infant. The infant garment has one or more arm restraining mechanisms suitably positioned on an interior surface of the infant garment to be able to restrain the infant&#39;s hand(s)/arm(s) so that the infant&#39;s hand(s)/arm(s) can be positioned up and next to his/her face and/or head while the infant&#39;s hand(s)/arm(s) remain within the infant garment. The infant garment may also include one or more teethers on an exterior surface thereof.

FIELD

The garment described herein relates to an infant garment.

BACKGROUND

Many examples of infant garments are known. One example is theSLEEPSACK® wearable blanket available from Halo Innovations, Inc. ofMinnetonka, Minn. Another example is the wearable blanket described inU.S. Pat. No. 7,246,392 or the wearable blanket described in U.S. Pat.No. 8,347,432.

Additional examples of infant garments include those disclosed in U.S.Pat. No. 9,179,711 and in WO 2007/098558. The infant garment in U.S.Pat. No. 9,179,711 includes wing portions at each shoulder that areintended to receive the infant's hands and maintain the infant's arms ina raised position. The infant garment in WO 2007/098558 is described asincluding pockets to receive the infant's hands and arms.

SUMMARY

An infant garment is described that is sized and configured to be wornby an infant. The infant garment has one or more hand/arm restrainingmechanism that are suitably positioned on the infant garment to be ableto restrain the infant's hand(s)/arm(s) so that the infant'shand(s)/arm(s) can be positioned up and next to his/her face and/or headwhile the infant's hand(s)/arm(s) remain within the infant garment. Forsake of convenience, the language hand/arm restraining mechanism will beshortened to arm restraining mechanism throughout the followingdescription and in the claims.

The infant garment can include one or more arm restraining mechanisms.In one embodiment, the arm restraining mechanism can be one or moreinner pockets located on an inside surface of a front side of the infantgarment for secure placement of the infant's hand(s) in an upwardposition. In another embodiment, instead of inner pockets, the armrestraining mechanism can be one or more soft cuffs for secure placementof the infant's hand(s) in the upward position.

The arm restraining mechanisms can help the placement of the infant'shand(s) inside the infant garment. The placement of the infant's hand(s)inside the infant garment allows for self-soothing and helps control theMoro reflex. Moro reflex is an infantile reflex normally present ininfants or newborns as a response to a sudden loss of support. Mororeflex typically occurs when, for example, the infant feels as if he/sheis falling. In a Moro reflex, the infant would typically spread out thearms (also referred as to “abduction”, the movement of arm(s) away fromthe midline of the body or from another part), un-spread the arms (alsoreferred as to “adduction”, movement of arm(s) toward the midline of thebody or toward another part), or crying. The infant garment is designedwith the arm restraining mechanisms (such as inner pockets, soft cuffs,or the like) for holding the infant's hands up toward his/her faceand/or head position to help control the Moro reflex. The hand positionof the infant (due to the arm restraining mechanisms) can also help withtransitioning from the traditional arms down (at the side of the body)swaddling.

In one embodiment, the infant garment can be tapered at the waistposition thereof to keep the bottom of the body from moving up in theinfant garment. The leg(s) area of the infant garment is wide enough forhip development and leg movement. The infant garment can also include azipper, such as a two-way zipper, on the front thereof for easy dressingand/or diaper changing.

In one embodiment, the infant garment can further include one or moreteethers incorporated into the infant garment, either in addition to thearm restraining mechanisms, or in the infant garment without the armrestraining mechanisms.

An infant garment described herein can include a front panel and a rearpanel defining a space for receiving a body of an infant except for theinfant's head. The front panel and the rear panel define an upper bodyportion that includes a neck hole. In addition, the front panel and therear panel define an exterior facing surface that faces away from thespace and an interior facing surface that faces toward the space. Theinfant garment further includes at least one of the following: at leastone arm restraining mechanism disposed on the interior facing surface atthe upper body portion and/or at least one teether disposed on theexterior facing surface at the upper body portion.

DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front view of an infant garment according to one embodimentdescribed herein, with a front zipper thereof zipped closed.

FIG. 2 is a front view of the infant garment of FIG. 1 with the frontzipper unzipped, with an infant positioned therein and showing one ofthe infant's hands placed in one of the arm restraining mechanisms inthe form of an inner pocket.

FIG. 3 is a front view similar to FIG. 2 of another embodiment of aninfant garment that uses arm restraining mechanisms in the form of innercuffs instead of inner pockets.

FIG. 4 is a back view of the infant garment of FIG. 1, FIG. 2, or FIG. 3

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 4, the infant garment 10 includes a front panel20 and a rear panel 30 connected to one another. The front panel 20 andthe rear panel 30 define a space or pouch for receiving the infant'sbody (i.e. the torso, legs and arms) except for the infant's head asshown in FIGS. 2 and 3. The front panel 20 and the rear panel 30 canhave any construction that is suitable to define the space or pouch toreceive the infant with the infant's neck and head disposed outside thegarment 10 as depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3. For example, in one embodiment,the infant garment 10 can be a one-piece construction where the frontpanel 20 and the rear panel 30 can be initially separate from oneanother but joined together (for example, by sewing or via othersuitable process) along substantially an entire perimeter edge of thegarment 10 except for a region that defines a neck hole 18 at a topportion of the front panel 20 and the rear panel 30 that allows theinfant's neck to extend through as depicted in FIGS. 2 and 3. In anotherembodiment, the front panel 20 and the rear panel 30 can be integrallyformed whereby the front panel 20 and the rear panel 30 are notinitially separate from one another, but are instead formed from asingle piece of material.

The front panel 20 and the rear panel 30 can be made of any materialthat is suitable for use with an infant. The material used should besoft and comfortable to wear, safe for the infant, and washable (forexample, hand-wash or machine wash). Examples of suitable materialsinclude, but are not limited to, cotton (organic or non-organicversion), polyester, cotton/polyester blends, corduroy, silk, rayon,knits, chambray, tulle, or any suitable infant apparel fabrics.

The infant garment 10 is illustrated as having an overall “peanut-shape”but other shapes are possible. The garment 10 includes an upper bodyportion 11, a waist portion 12, a lower body portion 13, and a perimeteredge 22. The upper body portion 11 is big enough to fit the infant'supper body with both arms/hands in the upward position (see FIGS. 2 and3). In addition, the upper body portion 11 is sized so that the infantcan move his/her hand(s) and self soothe, but the movement of gettinghis/her hand(s) towards his/her waist should be limited.

The waist portion 12 tapers inwardly from the upper body portion 11 andthe lower body portion 13 so that the width of the garment 10 at thewaist portion 12 is less than the width of the upper body portion 11 andthe lower body portion 13. The waist portion 12 provides for a stablefit of the infant's body within the infant garment 10. In addition, thetapering of the waist portion 12 helps to prevent the infant'shand(s)/arm(s) from moving to his/her sides and into the lower bodyportion 13 and/or helps to prevent the infant's hip and/or leg(s) frommoving into the upper body portion 11.

The lower body portion 13 is configured to be wide enough to permitfreedom of movement of the infant's leg(s) to promote healthy hipdevelopment.

Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2, the front panel 20 is illustrated as beingsplit into a right or first section 20 a and a left or second section 20b. A binding mechanism 14 is provided on the right and left sections 20a, 20 b for selectively opening and closing the garment 10 via the rightand left sections 20 a, 20 b. The binding mechanism 14 can be forexample, a zipper, buttons, clasps, snaps, hook and loop fasteners, orthe like. The split of the right and left sections 20 a, 20 b extendsfrom the neck hole 18 toward the lower body portion 13. In theillustrated example, the split of the right and left sections 20 a, 20 bextends to near the bottom of the lower body portion 13. The splitbetween the right and left sections 20 a, 20 b can extend any extent topermit the garment 10 to be sufficiently opened to permit entry and exitof the infant from the interior space or pouch. The binding mechanism 14selectively controls the opening and closing of the right and leftsections 20 a, 20 b. In one embodiment, when the binding mechanism isclosed, the only opening of the infant garment 10 can be the neck hole18. However, in other embodiments, one or more other openings can beprovided in the garment, for example on the rear panel 30.

The neck hole 18 is illustrated as being positioned in the middle of thegarment 10 at the top thereof. The neck hole 18 can have any shape thatis suitable to comfortably allow passage of the infant's neck. Examplesof suitable shapes include, but are not limited to, a half-circle,half-oval, oval, or the like. When the binding mechanism 14 is closed,the neck hole 18 is small enough to prevent the infant's upper body frommoving out of the upper body portion 11 of the infant garment 10 throughthe neck hole 18 and to prevent the infant's head from moving into theupper body portion 11 of the infant garment 10 through the neck hole.

In an embodiment where the binding mechanism 14 is a zipper, the zippercan be a two-way zipper (which can also be referred to as dual zipper,double zipper, or two-head zipper) that can be closed or opened in twoopposite directions (i.e., from both ends of the two-way zipper). Thetwo-way zipper can allow the right and left sections 20 a, 20 b to beopened from the neck hole 18 down for entry and exit of the infant, andallow the right and left sections 20 a, 20 b to be opened starting fromthe bottom end thereof in a direction toward the neck hole 18 tofacilitate dressing of the infant and diaper changes. The opposite partsof the zipper can be sewn into the right and left sections 20 a, 20 b.

The binding mechanism 14 is illustrated as being located along themiddle of the front panel 20 so that the right and left sections 20 a,20 b are symmetrical relative to the line along the binding mechanism14. However, in other embodiments, the binding mechanism 14 can bepositioned at an offset location on the front panel 20 so that the rightand left sections 20 a, 20 b are not symmetrical.

Referring to FIG. 4, the rear panel 30 can be solid with no openings.However, in another embodiment, the rear panel 30 can have a closableopening, for example at the lower body portion 13, to facilitate diaperchanging.

Returning to FIG. 2, the infant garment 10 can include one or more armrestraining mechanisms 16. The arm restraining mechanisms 16 arepositioned and configured to hold the infant's hands up toward his/herface and/or head position as shown in FIG. 2. Preferably, two armrestraining mechanisms 16 are provided, one for each hand/arm. The armrestraining mechanisms 16 are located on the inside surfaces of theright and left sections 20 a, 20 b of the front panel 20.

The arm restraining mechanisms 16 can have any configuration that issuitable for holding the infant's hands up toward his/her face and/orhead position as shown in FIG. 2. For example, in the embodiment shownin FIG. 2, the arm restraining mechanisms 16 comprise inner pockets.FIG. 2 shows one of the two inner pockets located on the inside orinterior surface of the right section 20 a of the front panel 20. Asimilar inner pocket (not visible) is located on the inside or interiorsurface of the left section 20 b of the front panel 20. In thisembodiment, the inner pockets can be made of cotton, synthetic, or anysuitable material. The inner pockets are configured such that theinfant's hands can be placed inside the two inner pockets as depicted inFIG. 2.

In the illustrated example, each of inner pockets includes an upper end16 a, a left end 16 b, a lower end 16 c, and a right end 16 d. The lowerend 16 c is an open end through which the infant's hands, lower arm canbe inserted into the pocket. The upper end 16 a, the left end 16 b, andthe right end 16 d are closed for example by sewing the ends 16 a, 16 b,16 d to the inside surface of the respective right or left section 20 a,20 b. In the illustrated example, the upper end 16 a and the left end 16b can be aligned with the upper seam and the side seam of the infantgarment 10, respectively.

The infant's hand(s) can be placed into the pocket through the openlower end 16 c thereof. If desired, an elastic band can be provided atthe open lower end 16 c of each pocket to restrict the size of theopening at the lower ends 16 c. The sizes of the spaces formed by thepockets are big enough so that the infant can still move his/her handswithin the pockets and self soothe. However, movement of his/her handstowards his/her waist should be limited.

Other locations of the pockets other than on the inside surface of theright and left sections 20 a, 20 b are possible. For example, thepockets could be attached to the inside surface of the rear panel 30, orthe pockets could be attached to both the inside surfaces of the rightand left sections 20 a, 20 b as well as to the rear panel 30.

FIG. 3 illustrates a different embodiment of the arm restrainingmechanism 16. In this embodiment, instead of the two inner pockets asshown in FIG. 2, the arm restraining mechanism 16 comprises two softcuffs. FIG. 3 shows one of the two soft cuffs secured to the insidesurface of the right section 20 a of the front panel 20. A similar cuffwill be disposed on the inside surface of the left section 20 b of thefront panel 20. Each of the cuffs can be made of, for example, fabric orany suitable material. The cuffs can include some elastic, an elasticpolyurethane fabric such as spandex or LYCRA® (or any suitable material)for stretch of the cuffs. For each cuff, the ends thereof can be securedto the inside surface, for example by sewing or other form ofconnection.

In the illustrated example of FIG. 3, each cuff includes a left end 17a, a right end 17 b, a lower end 17 c, and an upper end 17 d. Both theleft end 17 a and the right end 17 b can be fastened to the insidesurface. The lower end 17 c and the upper end 17 d are open so that theinfant's hand and lower arm can pass through as illustrated.

In use, each of the infant's hands and lower arm is placed through thetwo cuffs. For example, the infant's arms can be positioned so that thecuffs cover the wrists or lower arms of the infant. The cuffs are sizedso that the infant can move his/her hands and self soothe but limit theability of the infant to move his/her hands towards his/her waist.

Other locations of the cuffs other than on the inside surface of theright and left sections 20 a, 20 b are possible. For example, the cuffscould be attached to the inside surface of the rear panel 30, or thecuffs could be attached to both the inside surfaces of the right andleft sections 20 a, 20 b as well as to the rear panel 30.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the infant garment 10 can also include oneor more teether(s) 15 attached thereto. The teethers 15 can be usedtogether with the arm restraining mechanisms 16, or used on the garment10 by themselves without the arm restraining mechanisms 16. In theillustrated example, two teethers 15 are shown. However, the infantgarment 10 can include a single one of the teethers 15 or more than twoof the teethers 15. The teether(s) 15 can be located anywhere on theinfant garment 10 that can be accessed by the infant for sucking/chewingby the infant. In the illustrated example, the teether(s) 15 can belocated at or near both upper hand(s) positions (see FIGS. 2 and 3) onan outer part of the infant garment 10. In one embodiment, theteether(s) 15 can be located at or near the shoulders of the garment 10,at or near the intersection of the side seam and the upper seam of thefront panel 20 and the rear panel 30.

The teether(s) 15 are safe teether(s) for an infant to chew on whilewearing the garment 10. The teethers 15 can be made of a material thatis different than the material forming the infant garment 10. Forexample, the teether(s) 15 can be made of BPA (bisphenol A) and/orphthalate-free, food-grade silicone, or any other material that isconsidered safe for an infant to chew on. The material used for theteethers 15 should meet or exceed all U.S. federal safety requirements,including Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) standards, AmericanSociety for Testing and Materials (ASTM) regulations, and/or the mostcurrent Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) in both the U.S.and Canada.

In one embodiment, the teether(s) 15 are integrally attached to theinfant garment 10 so that the teether(s) 15 is/are not intended to beremovable. For example, the teether(s) 15 can be sewn into the infantgarment 10 or otherwise permanently attached to the infant garment 10.In another embodiment, the teether(s) 15 can be removably attached tothe infant garment 10, for example using hook and loop fasteners, snaps,buttons, or any other form of removable attachment. The teether(s) 15can be attached entirely to the front panel 20 or, as illustrated inFIG. 4, some or all of the teether(s) 15 can be attached to a portion ofthe rear panel 30.

While wearing the garment 10, the infant can move his/her hand(s) insidethe arm restraining mechanisms 16 toward his/her face and/or head. Theteether(s) 15 are located at or near both upper hand(s) positions on theouter part of the infant garment 10. Thus, the infant is able to usehis/her hands and movements of his/her head to bring the teether(s) 15to his/her mouth for sucking on the teether(s) 15.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, the teether(s) 15 and/or the arm restrainingmechanisms 16 are positioned and configured so that uppermost portionsof the teether(s) 15 and/or uppermost portions of the arm restrainingmechanisms 16 are aligned with or below a line L which is at or near theneck of the infant. Accordingly, the infant's hands are retained belowthe line L. This design/configuration can help to prevent the teether(s)15 and/or a portion of the infant garment 10 (near the upper portions ofthe arm restraining mechanisms 16) from covering the infant's nose(which may cause breathing problem) and/or from touching the infant'seyes (which may be a safety concern) when the infant moves his/herhand(s) toward his/her face and/or head.

The infant garment 10 illustrated in FIGS. 1-4 is devoid of arm holes inthe upper body portion 11 thereof. So in the illustrated embodiment, theinfant's arms cannot extend out of the infant garment 10 through armholes. However, in other embodiments, the infant garment may include armholes that allow the infant's arms to extend from the sides of thegarment 10 such as found in the SLEEPSACK® wearable blanket availablefrom Halo Innovations, Inc. of Minnetonka, Minn.

The examples disclosed in this application are to be considered in allrespects as illustrative and not limitative. The scope of the inventionis indicated by the appended claims rather than by the foregoingdescription; and all changes which come within the meaning and range ofequivalency of the claims are intended to be embraced therein.

1. An infant garment, comprising: a front panel and a rear paneldefining a space for receiving a body of an infant except for theinfant's head; the front panel and the rear panel define an upper bodyportion that includes a neck hole; the front panel and the rear paneldefine an exterior facing surface that faces away from the space and aninterior facing surface that faces toward the space; and at least one ofthe following: a) at least one arm restraining mechanism disposed on theinterior facing surface at the upper body portion, the at least one armrestraining mechanism includes an open lower end with an opening thatfaces downward, and the at least one arm restraining mechanism ispositioned entirely below the neck hole; b) at least one teetherdisposed on the exterior facing surface at the upper body portion, theat least one teether is formed of a material that is different than amaterial of the front panel and the rear panel.
 2. The infant garment ofclaim 1, wherein the front panel includes a first section and a secondsection, the first section and the second section are releasablyconnectable to one another by a binding mechanism, and the bindingmechanism extends from the neck hole toward a lower body portion of theinfant garment.
 3. The infant garment of claim 2, comprising two of thearm restraining mechanisms, a first one of the arm restrainingmechanisms is disposed on the interior facing surface of the firstsection at the upper body portion, and a second one of the armrestraining mechanisms is disposed on the interior facing surface of thesecond section at the upper body portion.
 4. The infant garment of claim2, comprising two of the teethers, a first one of the teethers isdisposed on the exterior facing surface of the first section at theupper body portion, and a second one of the teethers is disposed on theexterior facing surface of the second section at the upper body portion.5. The infant garment of claim 2, wherein the binding mechanismcomprises a zipper.
 6. The infant garment of claim 1, wherein the frontpanel and the rear panel define a lower body portion and a waist portionthat interconnects the upper body portion and the lower body portion;the waist portion tapers inwardly from the upper body portion and tapersinwardly from the lower body portion so that a width of the infantgarment at the waist portion is less than a width of the upper bodyportion and a width of the lower body portion.
 7. The infant garment ofclaim 1, comprising the at least one arm restraining mechanism, and theat least one arm restraining mechanism comprises a pocket or a cuff. 8.The infant garment of claim 1, comprising the at least one teether, andthe at least one teether is located at a shoulder of the infant garment.9. The infant garment of claim 1, wherein the infant garment is devoidof arm holes.
 10. The infant garment of claim 1, wherein the infantgarment includes the at least one arm restraining mechanism and the atleast one teether.